The quest to amass worldly possessions is a problem as old as humanity. People consistently have worshipped false idols — from the golden calf in the Old Testament to the modern-day smartphone. It turns out that, for some, the allure of material objects extends even after death. A Swedish firm announced recently that it is selling $30,000 coffins loaded with speakers and a Spotify music account in order to stream songs into graves.

Stockholm firm Pause Ljud & Bild said its CataCombo Sound System coffins offer two-way speakers so the bereaved can hear the music playing inside the coffin. Also included is a digital display feature on the headstone that allows visitors to see the name of the current track.

This story — ridiculous from all angles — is another piece of evidence proving that, in today’s secularist society, people look for comfort in all the wrong places. Our comfort and hope after death should be in God, not high-tech gadgets pumping music 6 feet under. Once we die, our earthly possessions are of no use to us. As the famous saying goes: “You can’t take it with you.”

For Catholics — who know that after death the soul leaves the body — such an invention is particularly befuddling. How sad to think that the concerns of the dying person should be wrapped up in having the most advanced technology and not in preparing one’s soul to leave this earth.

As Jesus tells us, the treasures of earth are superficial and fleeting. But those of heaven are priceless and eternal. Nothing compares to the treasure of the Kingdom of God.